A COOKING school at the Chewton Glen hotel has been approved - with a little help from celebrity chef James Martin.

The Saturday Kitchen host was one of the more interesting speakers to appear at Christchurch Borough Council's planning committee recently, talking in support of the £2.6million cookery school at the top five-star hotel.

The chef, who has run demonstrations at the Christchurch Food Festival in the past, will hold classes at the Chewton Glen's new venture, returning to the hotel where he did a short stint as a pastry chef when he was 20.

Members of the planning committee gave the go-ahead to the development, which involves the demolition of an existing outbuilding and construction of a new building on Green Belt land.

The cookery school, which is expected to employ 19 people, will include a dining area and tasting floor, with a small car park, with access from Chewton Farm Road closed.

And it is hoped the venue will provide an academy environment for students to develop skills and experience the restaurant and hospitality industry at its best.

As well as the dining area, the professional kitchen space will include a charcuterie bar, bakery and patisserie, along with a vegetable garden and sculpture garden.

Last year, the hotel held a consultation event with Chewton Glen managing director, Andrew Stembridge and James Martin as well as suppliers, developers and local students.

Around 50 residents attended and while many were in support, a number of concerns were raised about noise and traffic issues as well as the future use of the site.

Council officers said the hotel's case demonstrating the positive economic benefits "represents sufficient justification to regard the proposal as an exception to the restriction on new buildings in this Green Belt location."

Planning committee chairman, Cllr David Jones, said: "There was quite a lot of support and although it is in the Green Belt, these are special circumstances and there is a lot of goodwill towards it."